If summer arrives, you’ll most likely be lounging in the pool rather than in the hot tub.
Many of us are more inclined to turn the temperature down and leave the water where it is.
But for some of us, this is a great time to clean the hot tub!
Now comes the question of whether or not you can drain and leave the hot tub empty over the summer.
When you are hopeful for summer, the most important thing to keep in mind is when draining your hot tub for the summer, you must keep in mind that you need to ensure that not only you have the tub empty but also you will need to ensure that all the tubes and pipes are emptied of water inside of the hot tub.
It’s the water that you don’t see that can become stagnant, and really acts as a breeding ground for all things nasty.
What Can You Expect? Yes, it can be done; you can pay someone to do it; or, you can do it yourself, but you will need to take additional precautions.
Why Do I Need To Drain My Hot Tub Over Summer?
To begin with, you don’t have to drain your hot tub for summer.
You can simply cover it between uses and continue to enjoy the good weather.
However, many find that summer is a good time of year to drain and clean the hot tub since it will not be used as much.
For some, summer will be spent at camps or other vacation spots and having a filled hot tub at home is not a comfortable option.
Draining, cleaning and covering it will provide the better protection while you are away.
How To Properly Drain Your Hot Tub For Summer
As we’ve mentioned before, some hot tub owners like to use professional services to drain and clean their hot tub.
If you’re unsure if you can drain your hot tub by yourself, or have any doubts in your mind about it, then the professional service is the way to go.
However, many of the hot tub owners generally go through the drain process themselves without too many problems.
You have a couple options when it comes to draining your hot tub.
Mainly – you will need to simply open the drain valve, or drain spout. Usually this can be found on the bottom part of the hot tub with other types of equipment.
It may take a while to drain your hot tub, but the positive to that is there are drain products available to accelerate the time.
On average, a regular hot tub could take about an hour to drain.
When you’re using a drain product, and followed the directions accordingly, the time could be reduced to about 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the product you’re using.
A submersible pump will get the drain job done in the least amount of time.
How To Clean Your Hot Tub
When you’ve finished draining your hot tub, you will want to give it a clean up.
Once this unit is filled again, it may be a long time until you have the chance to do this again.
If it has been a really long time since your plumbing lines have been cleaned out, then this should be the first thing you do.
There are a myriad of plumbing line cleaning products for hot tubs that can be found online and directly from a hot tub manufacturer.
These products are made for cleaning out plumbing lines and preventing any nasties from getting back into the tub.
Typically, you let them work for about 24 hours, though there are also some ‘quick’ cleaners available.
But also, the visible part of the hot tub is also pretty easy to clean, because you can see what you are cleaning.
You should wipe the shell of the tub with a cleaning solution, but do make sure it does not contain bleach as this can do more harm than good.
Next, you should take out the filters and clean them up really well.
In some instances- you will take out the filter and realize that it is not salvageable and you will actually need to order a new filter.
Otherwise, you could soak the filter in a hot tub filter cleaner or a hot soapy water solution.
When it comes to refill the hot tub, you may want to give it another clean if it has been a significant period of time since it was drained.
You could consider flushing the pipes with a chlorine solution, which would take care of any build up, debris, or little bugs that may be present.
Otherwise just top it back up with water and viscosity checking the chemical ratios to make sure the water is sanitary and fresh.
How To Protect Your Hot Tub During Summer
Many people think that leaving a hot tub empty throughout the summer is not a brilliant idea.
However, it is perfectly fine to do so.
As long as you protect it properly, you will be able to use your hot tub when the time comes.
First and foremost, make sure that you have a high-quality cover that fits your hot tub well.
The critical mistake made relating to the annual summerizing process for hot tubs is covering the unit.
What happens next?
The sun and UV rays beat down on the plastic, weakening and damaging it.
What many do not understand is that if the tub is stored incorrectly, you could void your warranty.
Honestly, is purchasing and placing a hot tub cover worth skipping?
Conclusion
If a hot tub is not going to be used in the summer, it is completely acceptable to leave the water in and cover it until the user decides to use it again.
But for many, draining and cleaning the hot tub is a preferable option and summer is the best time of year to do this.
You can drain your hot tub during the summer, but you should make sure there is no water or moisture in the plumbing or pipes, because that can affect the cleanliness of your tub and may become stale and stagnant.
The best case scenario is to use the appropriate cleaning chemicals to ensure your hot tub is clean, fresh, and ready to sparkle for use on a later date.